Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-12-03
THE FARM
MATTERS PERTAINING TO AGRI-
CULTURE AND HORTICULTURE.
Treatment of Apricot Trees-A New
Kind of Grass-Other Items
of Interest.

J. II. Harding, writing to the Fresno
Republican upon culture of the apricot,
says:
| watch my trees the first season after
planting, and as soon as they have grown
three feet cut back to eight or ten inches.
This causes the sap to fill up every pore in
the body and limbs of the tree preparatory
to pushing out a new growth of side limbs
or laterals on the new wood you have left,
and this stiffens up the whole stock and
also helps to make the junction of old and
new wood more solid. neither can the
winds whip and bend your young tree about
and split off limbs Soon after you have cut
away this new growth you will see young
shoots starting out all over the tree, and
if, when they have made similar growth,
the head of your tree is not thick enough
or seems top-heavy and weaves about,
cut back again and don't be afraid Of hurting
it, but get your tree stiff, and what tree
men call stocky. With all the care and
deep cultivation necessary, your tree should
make fine growth and be well shaped the
first year. Then in the following winter
prune out all weak branches, cross limbs
and cut back the ends of all limbs to good,
sound, well-matured wood Follow up the
same treatment second and third years,
and never allow your tree to run out long
limbs and sprawl about, always keeping
the head well balanced, and where exposed,
the heaviest side to the wind. The april
cot, as we all know, for the first few years
is wonderful grower, and must be kept
.
pecially, run away with itself and go to
pieces sure. AS to the longevity Of fruit
trees under such system Of pruning, /
am not prepared to say, but | am sure it
will avoid much of the disaster we can see
on every hand the present year.
| have about one thousand apricot trees
four years old, which had not been pruned
for two years, or little at best since the
grasshopper scourge two years ago. They
are planted 20x20 feet apart, and when l
went into the orchard to prune, last Feb
ruary, there were hundreds of places where
the limbs from either row could be
tied to the other, and many times
had to crawl upon my hands
and knees to get under to commence prun-
ing. The head of the tree had been started
three to four feet from the ground, but the
immense weight of the foliage of the pre-
ceding years had bent the limbs until they
touched the ground If had been faint
hearted, like many with pet orchard, l
| would not have half done the work; but l
cut and sawed until more than few of my
neighbors thought / had Just about
ruined fine orchard. | have no use for
fruit tree in this valley which | can't
get to and cultivate, and | cut these
away until l can pillow right up to
them. | also cut well back the top
and side limbs, and, of course, cut away
any amount of fruit-buds that had formed
on the outer branches, but what did save
near the body of the tree produced the
largest and finest fruit ever saw. The
| result is that | had an immense growth of
fine, healthy trees as ever grew, which any
one can attest by visiting my orchard
have at least two objects in view by this
course of pruning. First, 1 get my trees
stout and stocky and the fruit-wood near
the center, so that it will be more pro-
tected from late frosts while blooming and
and setting the fruit. 1t is easy enough to
cut and thin out after see what my crop
will be. One thing | am sure of, and it is this
by my course of pruning only lost one tree
out of a thousand by splitting down, and
less than a dozen that were damaged in
the least, and that was caused by the raw
ages of grasshoppers two years ago. and
my neglect to look after them.
THE NEW GRASS, AsPERsET.
The Tidiags some two weeks ago copied
| from the Carson, New Appeal an account
| of new grass which is specially adapted
to dry climates and rocky soil. This grass
grows without irrigation better without
than With, is green the year around and
| makes better feed for stock than any other
known plant. The asperset (hard set, we
supposed was brought from Germany The
Genoa New Courier which is published
at the home Of Sherman Springmeyer, the
man who imported the asperset and who
is making experiments with the hardy
clover says:
"Mr. Springmeyer has taken up $500
acres of land, and as soon as he can get
water to irrigate it, will seed portion of it
| new kind of grass, resembling alfalfa,
and comes from Germany. 1t is believed
that it will do well on the poorest kind of
| land, where sufficient water can be OBJ
tanned to keep it alive; but it is unreason-
able to suppose that it will grow and thrive
where there is no moisture"
The Carson Appeal, whose editor is Sam
7. Davis, one of the foremost farmers of
the country, replies as follows to the Genoa
Courier:
son the contrary, it is reasonable to
suppose that plants will thrive without
moisture from the fact that they do so
thrive. Lupin grows all over the country
where there is no irrigation. Bunch grass
and filaree grow on the sandy sides of the
hills. Some plants gather moisture from
the air, and live on it; asperset is ore of
these varieties"
1t is said that Mr.. Springmeyer is re-
ceiving hundreds of letters Gay asking
about asperset seed or plants. He can
supply neither at present, but he SAYS the
seed can be had in Germany The precise
place in Germany is not given. 1t is
little strange that Germany, which is not
dry country, should furnish plant which
is suitable for rapid, green and nutritious
growth in sandy desert.-Grass Valey
Tidimgs.
A NEW FERTILIZER.
Basic Stag, the refuse of steel works,
when freed from iron and reduced to a
powder. proves to be valuable fertilizer,
principally on account of the phosphorus
it contains. Mountains of black Stag have
accumulated about the iron and steel works
in England, and much in this country, all
of which can be proftably worked over
and made into valuable manure
POULTRY.
Don't feed on the floor. Feed in shallow
boxes or troughs. For drinking vessels
common glazed milk crooks are the best.
Women and children engage successfully
in poultry raising this industry need not
be restricted to those living on farms; but
little capital is required, and the income
begins almost as soon as the investment is
made.
Use none but pure bred cocks, get the
best hens you can get for market prices.
Keep each year the best of the highest
bred pullets, selling all Others, and you
will soon have flock as good as pure
breds, and at little cost.
The excrement of the fowls is no small
item of the income. In fertilizing proper
ties, poultry manure is very like guano
He who has berry patch or a garden or
flower bed, for part or all of this manure
will find a profitable home market, while
it may be sold at good figures to market
Gardeners